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“Conclave, “Nosferatu,” and “Wicked” won honors at the 28th Art Directors Guild (IATSE Local 800) Excellence in Production Design Awards, Saturday at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown.

The Adg divides live-action features into three categories. Production designer Craig Lathrop’s work on early 1800s-set horror adaptation “Nosferatu” won the award in the period film category. Production designer Nathan Crowley’s creation of the “Wicked” land of Oz won the award for a fantasy film, and production designer Suzie Davies’ Vatican sets delivered “Conclave” the trophy for a contemporary film.

“Conclave,” “Nosteratu” and “Wicked,” along with Adg nominees “The Brutalist” and “Dune: Part Two” are nominated for the Oscar in production design. A year ago, “Poor Things” won the Adg Award for a fantasy film en route to an Oscar win in the category.

At the Adg Awards, “The Wild Robot” continued its winning streak, collecting the Adg Award in feature animation.

After Jean Smart posted on Instagram that Hollywood needs to scrap awards shows and figure out how to generate revenue for fire victims instead, former lead stage manager Debbie Williams had a few choice words for the Hacks star via Facebook.

“Dearest Jean Smart,” began Williams, a veteran of such shows as American Idol, the Oscars and the Grammys. “You are a wonderful actress and I’m sure your heart is in the right place … wanting to cancel all awards shows and taking the revenue and donating it to Fire Relief …. However there is no revenue if there is no show and frankly, the workers who do the shows…the below the line production workers … truly need the work in an industry that has been suffering. These are normal crew and staff that rely on these jobs to feed their families. So be like Jamie Lee Curtis, who just donated 1 million dollars to the cause…...

Dutch Merrick fought to save his house for hours on Tuesday night and well into Wednesday morning. As one of the wildfires currently ravaging the L.A. area, the Eaton fire, charged toward his neighborhood in Altadena, California, the veteran prop master and armorer did what he could — continuously watering his roof, plants and the dry leaves on his lawn with a hose in an attempt to repel the flames. Eventually, a hailstorm of embers and cinder began to subsume his neighborhood, and he fled before the sun rose Wednesday.

Though he doesn’t know for sure yet, Merrick is fairly certain his home is now gone. It’s a bitter pill to swallow after what he describes as a series of challenges for workers like himself in the entertainment industry: the Covid-19 pandemic, the double strikes in 2023, and the damaging production slowdown that lingered after. In the last few years,...

Warning: Spoilers ahead for the movies mentioned in this articleThere aren't many names you can associate with the world of horror more than the great Stephen King. The Portland, Maine-born author's work has been adapted into various TV shows and movies, and his writing isn't showing many signs of slowing down either. King’s ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror, and solace, remains unsurpassed.

Since Carrie hit cinemas in 1976, Stephen King adaptations have been a regular occurrence for movie-goers. Longlegs director Osgood Perkins' new movie, The Monkey, is based on one of his short stories, and it promises to have Itchy & Scratchy-level violence. However, his influence is so great that many films have been made that are blatant rip-offs of King's work.

Fright Night (1985) It May Not Be A Copy Of King's Work, But You Can Definitely See His Influence

Many Stephen King novels, and their subsequent movie adaptations,...

IATSE announced Friday that two more local guilds have reached tentative deals on a new contract, bringing the union closer to an agreement on all “craft-specific” matters.

The latest deals involve Local 728, which covers set lighting technicians, and Local 892, the Costume Designers Guild. With those agreements, 10 of the 13 “West Coast” locals now have tentative deals.

The crew union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have set aside five weeks of bargaining just on local issues, and expect to have that wrapped up before turning to the Basic Agreement on April 29.

The Basic Agreement covers issues affecting all 13 guilds, including pension and health contributions, wage increases, and artificial intelligence. IATSE leaders have said that they hope the local talks will generate momentum that will carry through into the broader negotiations.

“This bargaining calendar, together with the diligent preparation work that the West Coast Studio Locals’ Negotiation Committees have done,...

Two more IATSE Locals — covering set lighting professionals and costume designers — have reached tentative agreements on craft-specific issues with Hollywood’s top studios and streamers.

IATSE Local 728, whose members include lighting programmers and chief rigging technicians, reached a provisional deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on Thursday, IATSE announced on Friday. Meanwhile, on Tuesday the Costume Designers Guild (IATSE Local 892) announced on Instagram that it had also agreed to a tentative deal with the AMPTP.

“This bargaining calendar, together with the diligent preparation work that the West Coast Studio Locals’ Negotiation Committees have done, has meant that the time we have spent at the table so far with the employers was effective,” IATSE vp Mike Miller said in a statement.

With these latest agreements, 10 IATSE Locals have now made tentative deals with the AMPTP on craft-specific issues. Those Locals include The International Cinematographers Guild (Local 600), the...

IATSE Local 871 — the Hollywood crew union that bargains of behalf of script supervisors, art department coordinators and accountants, among others — has reached a tentative deal with studios and streamers on its craft-specific issues.

The Local reached a provisional agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on Wednesday night after three days of bargaining. Members are expected to receive details of the deal once a memorandum of agreement (essentially a detailed summary of the tentative contract’s terms) is drawn up. IATSE confirmed the news in an update to members on Friday.

Meanwhile, two separate Locals that began bargaining with the AMPTP this week, the Studio Electrical Lighting Technicians (IATSE Local 728) and Costume Designers Guild (Local 892), have not yet concluded their craft-specific negotiations. The Motion Picture Editors Guild (Local 700), which began bargaining its Local deal March 21, remains in discussions with employers, with its latest bargaining date taking place Friday.

IATSE leadership told members on Friday that they’re gaining “momentum” in negotiations with the studios, as another local union reached a tentative agreement.

IATSE Local 871, which represents script supervisors, writers’ assistants, accountants and others, reached an agreement on its craft-specific issues on Wednesday. That makes seven of the 13 West Coast locals that have reached tentative deals.

“The work continues for our remaining Locals’ Negotiating Committees, but there’s significant momentum created by these tentative agreements,” said Mike Miller, international vice president, in a message to members. “I congratulate the Negotiating Committee of Local 871 on their effective work.”

IATSE and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are set to begin bargaining on the Basic Agreement — which covers the most contentious issues affecting all 13 West Coast guilds — on April 29. The union’s contract does not expire until July 31, and negotiators have tried to set an unusually lengthy schedule in...

Another IATSE Local says it has reached an agreement with studios and streamers on issues specific to its members.

“Today, our Local’s Bargaining Committee sat down with representatives from the AMPTP and reached a tentative agreement in our Local negotiations,” IATSE Local 695 — which represents production sound crew members, video engineers and projectionists — told members in an email on Monday night. “Our presentation focused on issues of adequate staffing, equitable pay, and on-set safety. It was supported with testimony from rank & file members about the types of challenges you face at work every day.”

According to the Local, the talks were “productive,” with management represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers grappling with top issues. This resulted in “meaningful gains in all areas,” said the union. The Local continued, “We look forward to sharing more information with you once the Memorandum of Agreement has been drafted and...

After four days of joint talks with the studios over health and pension benefits, IATSE, the Teamsters and other Hollywood Crafts will take next week to “caucus” and return to negotiations with the AMPTP on March 18.

“Negotiations have adjourned for the week. In terms of scheduling, union members are advised the Negotiations schedule is fluid and may be subject to change on short notice,” IATSE told members in a missive sent out this evening. “Next week, March 11-15 is expected to be a caucus week, meaning the employers and union Negotiating Committee only meet with themselves, and do not meet in joint sessions with both parties across the table.”

Said IATSE International Vice President Mike Miller: “In the coming weeks, we will continue to discuss the specifics of these proposals and provide periodic updates on our exchanges. In the meantime, our work continues.”

On March 5, the IATSE Basic Agreement...

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and Hollywood’s major studios have concluded their first week of talks Thursday evening, with both parties planning to resume negotiations for a new union contract on March 18.

The IATSE Basic Agreement Negotiating Committee, which represents IATSE, Teamsters 399 and the Hollywood Basic Crafts, proposed the new agreement to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on Monday. The AMPTP and IATSE’s committee trading proposed amendments on the Hollywood Basic Agreement on Tuesday.

Next week, beginning March 11, is planned as a caucus week, where both parties will only meet amongst themselves before making a formal return to general negotiations on March 18. Each of the 13 West Coast Studio Locals are expected to meet with the AMPTP to discuss “craft-specific issues.” The union covers roughly 50,000 members.

IATSE, the Teamsters and the Hollywood Basic Crafts are jointly bargaining health and pension benefits. The...

Linkin Park frontman Mike Shinoda has released a new solo single, “Already Over.” Along with the track, the musician dropped a hand-painted visual for the guitar-driven song created by Dusty Deen and incorporating images by photographer Mike Miller.

“‘Already Over’ came to me as I was sitting with my favorite guitar in my hands—the same guitar I used on songs from ‘What I’ve Done’ to ‘In My Head,’” Shinoda said in a statement. “There was a familiar DNA to the song that I think Linkin Park fans will recognize.

Chuck Parker, national executive director of the Art Directors Guild, IATSE Local 800, said that “it has become frighteningly apparent” that below-the-line workers are “bearing the brunt” of the ongoing strikes by actors and writers. He is reminding his members that help is available for those struggling to maintain their union health coverage and to make ends meet.

“I understand that most of you are frustrated by the condition that our Industry is currently in,” he wrote in an email to members on Friday. “Both the writers’ and actors’ strikes have brought our industry to its knees. I also realize that many of you have passed the point of frustration and find yourselves in despair, and for some, borderline desperation.

“While the writers and actors have the right to strike over what they feel (and have consistently communicated that) they deserve, they also feel that the employer is not engaging with them in a meaningful way.

Months into the combined writers and actors strikes, at a time of spiking food insecurity in Hollywood, hundreds of volunteer crewmembers distributed food, as well as household and personal care items, to peers at the Motion Picture & Television Fund campus in Woodland Hills on Thursday.

The drive-through food distribution event served about 1,000 households of Hollywood workers who have been financially impacted by the strike, according to an estimate provided by MPTF on Thursday. Organized by crew unions IATSE and the Teamsters Local 399 as well as MPTF, Labor Community Services, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and Matthew 25 Ministries, it was the crew unions’ second such food drive in two months: In July, not long after SAG-AFTRA joined the Writers Guild of America on strike, IATSE and Local 399 hosted a similar food drive at the former union’s West Coast headquarters in Burbank, distributing 1,740 food boxes and feeding an estimated 8,700 people.

As SAG-AFTRA clocked its 40th day on strike, the union’s chief negotiator has called for leaders of Hollywood’s major studios and streamers to step in to bring the sides to a new deal and get the industry back to work.

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s national executive secretary and its chief negotiator, said the union has had outreach from industry insiders who aim to help with basic communication between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

“There is some back-channeling going on but nothing formally from the AMPTP,” Crabtree-Ireland told Variety on Tuesday after the SAG-AFTRA held a Day of Solidarity rally next to the Disney lot in Burbank. The gathering drew several thousand participants to Keystone Street in Burbank, including local labor leaders and members of laborers union Liuna, the Writers Guild of America, the Directors Guild of America and stars of “The West Wing.

The Motion Picture Industry Pension & Health Plans — which provides benefits to a significant number of union members in the entertainment business — is offering health insurance eligibility assistance amid a double strike that has made qualifying challenging for many workers in the business.

Certain industry workers will be granted additional qualifying hours so that they can remain eligible for health insurance during the work stoppages, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. Typically union members who are already participants of the Plan must work at least 400 hours in a six-month period to maintain their benefits. With two strikes having essentially shut down scripted union production in the U.S. since May, this criteria has become increasingly difficult for many to meet. Per the changes, workers will receive up to 201 credited hours to qualify for health insurance, depending on the qualifying period that applies to them.

To qualify, workers must be enrolled in the...

Film workers who have been unemployed during the strike will get some help in maintaining their health insurance, the industry plan announced Monday.

The Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plans will extend eligibility to certain participants who otherwise would not have enough hours to qualify for benefits.

The Mpiphp also announced that members will be able to take a one-time “hardship withdrawal” from their defined-contributed retirement plans. The withdrawal cap is 20% of the balance, up to $20,000.

The industry plans took similar steps during the Covid-19 pandemic, when workers were also unable to work enough hours to meet the typical eligibility thresholds.

The Mpiphp funds have been affected by the strike, according to Mike Miller, vice president in charge of the West Coast office of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. Members recorded 18 million fewer hours of work through mid-July, compared to the same period in 2022, which translates to...

IATSE members came out in force Friday afternoon to the Writers Guild of America picket line outside Fox Studios, raising their voices — and picket signs — in support of fellow union members as the writers strike heads into its third week.

“Labor has to stick together. Workers have to stick together. We’re in a time when people need to be taken care of and have security in their jobs,” IATSE president Matthew Loeb told Variety.

Loeb was on hand with IATSE vice president Mike Miller and dozens of members of IATSE’s Local 800 and Local 695, among other units.

The onset of the writers strike on May 2 has created hardships for many in the industry, including IATSE members who have lost scheduled jobs as productions shuttered. Fundamentally, however, IATSE members are facing the same challenges of maintaining historic income levels amid historic shifts in the way TV shows and movies are produced and distributed.

The Leader will soon be returning to the MCU, and one of his darkest stories would make the perfect basis for a solo Hulk movie. Although the Leader and the Hulk have tangled many times over the years, perhaps their darkest encounter happened in 1996’s The Adventures of the X-Men #2. The Leader abducted the Hulk, planning to harness both his brute strength and Banner’s intellect to bring the world to its knees–and if not for the X-Men, he would have succeeded.

Both the Hulk and the Leader were created by gamma rays, but whereas Bruce Banner was mutated into the brutish Hulk, the same rays greatly expanded Samuel Sterns' intellect, transforming him into the cold and calculating Leader. In addition to his super-intelligence, the Leader also has telepathic and telekinetic abilities. He has used all of his powers over the years to destroy the Hulk, to no avail.

The union publicists who worked on behalf of the publicity campaigns for Sony’s Spider-Man: No Way Home and Apple’s Ted Lasso took home top honors today at the 59th annual International Cinematographers Guild’s Publicists Awards. See the full winners list below.

The Les Mason Award, the highest honor the Publicists can bestow on one of its own members, resulted in a tie between unit publicist Sheryl Main and David Waldman, EVP Domestic Publicity at Paramount Pictures.

The awards luncheon, held at the Beverly Hilton, also saw legendary director Frances Ford Coppola accept the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Greeted by a prolonged standing ovation, the five-time Oscar winner devoted his entire acceptance speech to a call on Russia President Vladimir Putin to stop the war in Ukraine.

“My heart is so filled with love of Ukrainian Americans,” he said, “and it breaks my heart what’s happening in the...

After a two-day strike, 115 crew members on A&e’s America’s Top Dog have returned to work in Simi Valley under a contract negotiated by IATSE and Hollywood’s Teamsters Local 399.

“This was an important win for the America’s Top Dog crew, and their unity and resolve made it happen,” said IATSE vice president Mike Miller. “In the midst of this pandemic, they will now work under a contract that provides healthcare, pension, improvements in working conditions and safety protocol oversight. We also recognize our partners, Teamsters Local 399, who joined us on the picket line and were also able to secure an agreement.”

The new contract with Bark Entertainment, a division of Big Fish Entertainment, mandates that workers receive full healthcare and other benefits from their date of hire; a minimum of 10 hours of work per day; 10 hours of rest between workdays; weekend rest periods; and penalties for...

Exclusive: More than 11,000 Iatse members and their supporters have signed a petition urging Iatse president Matt Loeb to work out a contract with Netflix “that moves us above and beyond” the union’s basic agreement with the major studios and networks. The giant streaming service agreed to bargain with the union last October, but the two sides have yet to reach a deal. Up until now, Netflix has only dealt with the union through third-party companies that have signed Iatse’s basic film and TV agreement.

“We, the undersigned, believe in the strength and leadership of the Iatse,” the petitioners said in letter to Loeb and Iatse vp Mike Miller, who heads up the union’s West Coast office. “The ongoing national Netflix contract negotiations must build on the terms and conditions that already exist in the Basic Agreement to ensure a bright future for the skilled tradespeople who are creating the content of tomorrow.

The 189-year-old Neir’s Tavern in Queens, which was prominently featured in the classic mob film Goodfellas, has been given a reprieve from an expected Sunday closing.

The bar, which was depicted as the place where the infamous Lufthansa robbery was planned by movie mobsters Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta, among others, would have been shut down Sunday because of a crippling rent increase. However, politicians intervened, and after negotiations with the landlord, a new five-year and affordable lease agreement was structured.

Loycent Gordon, the bar owner since 2009, emailed the good news to his friends and customers. The rent was expected to rise to an untenable $5,400 from $1,100 a month before negotiations brought it down to an undisclosed amount.

Gordon tried to obtain landmark status for the building earlier this year, but failed. It is one of New York’s oldest existing taverns.

Building owner Henry Shi, City Councilman Robert Holden...

Last week on The Last Man On Earth, Tandy’s brother Mike Miller, presumed dead from the virus, suddenly returned in the dead of night to shave off half of Tandy’s face. Though everyone welcomes Mike back into the fold with open arms, he nevertheless feels a little displaced from the group. Everyone has kids and is in…

Read more...

Mike Miller is alive! He’s alive!!! On Sunday, actor Jason Sudeikis (“We’re the Millers”) returns to Fox’s “The Last Man on Earth,” where he again guest stars as Phil “Tandy” Miller’s (Will Forte) brother — and TheWrap‘s got your exclusive first look at their emotional reunion.

Dude, we thought you were dead. (And also, how did you find the gang in Mexico?)

In the video posted above, Tandy discovers Mike alive and well as the two duet “Falling Slowly” from “Once.” That horrible haircut is back too — courtesy of the prankster, of course.

Also Read: 'Last Man on Earth': Will Forte Reveals Where Those Sports Balls Reside in Real Life

Now virus-free(!), Mike rejoins the group this weekend, which “throws Todd into a spiral,” per Fox’s official description. Todd’s (Mel Rodriguez) a busy boy in this episode, as he also shares an emotional rollercoaster with Erica (Cleopatra Coleman) over the course of the half-hour, which is titled “Designated Survivors.”

Watch our sneak peek above — we hope you’re wearing long sleeves for this one. (In case the reason why isn’t clear, it’s for both the chills and to wipe your eyes and nose.)

“The Last Man on Earth,” which also stars Kristen Schaal as Carol Pilbasian, January Jones as Melissa Shart, and Mary Steenburgen as Gail, airs Sundays at 9:30/8:30c on Fox.

Read original story ‘Last Man on Earth': Watch Tandy Find His Brother Alive – And Duet Some Karaoke (Exclusive Video) At TheWrap...

A familiar face is returning to Fox’s The Last Man on Earth.

It seems that Mike Miller is not dead, as Jason Sudeikis is set to return to the post-apocalyptic comedy on Sunday, April 15, after exiting during the Season 2 finale. He will then stick around for the remainder of the Season 4 Last Man on Earth episodes, EW.com reports.

Ready for more of today’s newsy nuggets? Well…

* Oscar winners Steven Spielberg and Alex Gibney are producing a Discovery Channel documentary series titled Why We Hate, which will explore humans’ capacity to hate and how to overcome it.

* Frank Whaley...

Leighton Meester goes on a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad date with Fred Armisen in Sunday’s The Last Man on Earth (Fox, 9:30/8:30c). Think we’re exaggerating? Feast your eyes on TVLine’s exclusive first look below, which finds the Gossip Girl alum wincing as her suitor details the biggest, most “voluminous” boil his doctor had ever seen.

PHOTOSLast Man on Earth Enlists Gossip Girl‘s Leighton Meester — 2018 First Look

The dreadful dinner for two goes down in a very special episode focused on Armisen’s Karl, who we first saw holed up in an abandoned prison in the fall finale.

Anita Hill named commission chair.

Source: Wiki Commons

Kathleen Kennedy

Hollywood heavyweights including Disney chairman/CEO Bob Iger, AMPAS CEO Dawn Hudson, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos are supporting a new Commission on Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality in the Workplace.

According to a statement, the commission will “lead the entertainment industry in achieving safer, fairer, more equitable and accountable workplaces - particularly for women and marginalised people”.

At the meeting, convened by Kathleen Kennedy, Maria Eitel, Nina Shaw and Freada Kapor Klein, top industry execs agreed to form and fund the commission.

It will be led by professor and attorney Anita Hill, who accused Supreme Court Justice nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment in 1991 during his Senate confirmation process.

Kennedy said: “The Commission will not seek just one solution, but a comprehensive strategy to address the complex and inter-related causes of the problems of parity and power.

Anita Hill named commission chair.

Source: Wiki Commons

Kathleen Kennedy

Hollywood heavyweights including Disney chairman/CEO Bob Iger, AMPAS CEO Dawn Hudson, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos are supporting a new Commission on Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality in the Workplace.

According to a statement, the commission will “lead the entertainment industry in achieving safer, fairer, more equitable and accountable workplaces - particularly for women and marginalised people”.

At the meeting, convened by Kathleen Kennedy, Maria Eitel, Nina Shaw and Freada Kapor Klein, top industry execs agreed to form and fund the commission.

It will be led by professor and attorney Anita Hill, who accused Supreme Court Justice nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment in 1991 during his Senate confirmation process.

Kennedy said: “The Commission will not seek just one solution, but a comprehensive strategy to address the complex and inter-related causes of the problems of parity and power. The fact that so...

Anthony Mackie was convicted of operating a motor vehicle while impaired in a Manhattan Criminal Court today, E! News confirms, following his 2013 DUI bust in Harlem.  A Manhattan District Attorney spokesperson tells E! News that Mackie, who stars as Falcon in Marvel's hit Captain America franchise, was found guilty in a bench trial presided over by Judge Kevin McGrath and was sentenced to a $300 fine, a drunk driving program, a 90-day license suspension, and a $255 mandatory surcharge.  Per the New York Daily News, the 36-year-old actor did not testify in court and shook his head when the verdict was read. His lawyer, Mike Miller, had...

Megan Fox Passion Play Underwear, Topless Photos, Movie Clip have premiered. Mitch Glazer‘s Passion Play (2010) stars Megan Fox, Mickey Rourke, Rhys Ifans, Bill Murray, and Lora Cunningham. Passion Play‘s plot synopsis: “Nate (Mickey Rourke), a small-time jazz musician, is clearly a hard-luck case. Stumbling into a circus pitched amidst the vast expanses of the southwest desert, Nate finds himself drawn to the exotic beauty of Lily (Megan Fox), the Bird Woman. Lily is cold and dismissive. But it dawns on her that this gentle giant may well be her way out of this life. Nate is protective and understanding, and to him her beauty makes her unique. As their bond deepens, Nate finds that his dreams are about to be thwarted by Happy Shannon (Bill Murray), a heartless businessman with deep pockets and an eye for the bizarre.”

The film is getting mostly negative reviews, including from its star Mickey Rourke I believe,...

Megan Fox may show off her curve in her next movie "Passion Play". In a picture taken from the set of the film, a girl, which is claimed to be Megan, is seen topless and only covering her breasts with her hand. She is captured filming a scene with a paunchy man while they are standing in a glass box.

In "Passion Play", Fox plays Lily, a slender beauty with wings who is part of a carnival. She will share screen with Mickey Rourke starring as a troubled trumpet player named Nate who finds redemption after saving Fox's character from a gangster.

Recently, Bill Murray has been tapped to join Fox and Rourke in the cast ensemble. He is hired to replace British actor Toby Kebbell and take over the role of a gangster Happy Shannon. The drama additionally has Kelly Lynch, Lora Cunningham and Mike Miller on supporting roles.

According to Production Weekly, Bill Murray has replaced British actor Toby Kebbell as a murderous mobster in "Passion Play."

The film is set in Los Angels in the 1950s where an angel under the thumb of a ruthless gangster (Murray) is saved by a trumpet player (Mickey Rourke) down on his luck.

Murray joins Megan Fox, Mickey Rourke, Kelly Lynch, Lora Cunningham, Mike Miller and Chuck Liddell.

"Passion Play" is  currently shooting the film in New Mexico.

Source: Production Weekly ...

Bill Murray has stepped in to save Megan Fox's new movie "Passion Play" - as a last-minute replacement for British actor Toby Kebbell. Fox is currently shooting the film in New Mexico, playing an angel in 1950s Los Angeles who helps save a troubled trumpet player, portrayed by Mickey Rourke.

And now Murray has been drafted in to replace "RocknRolla" star Kebbell as a gangster in the drama, according to Production Weekly. The project will see the actor reteam with director Mitch Glazer, who wrote the screenplay for Murray's 1988 cult Christmas movie "Scrooged".

In "Passion Play", Bill Murray will portray Happy. Beside playing along with Megan Fox and Mickey Rourke, he will be seen starring opposite Kelly Lynch, Lora Cunningham, Mike Miller and Chuck Liddell. The movie itself has begun its production in December 2009 and will be released in U.S. theaters in 2011.